Photos of 5 Terre, Porto Venere and Bologna!

I haven't had a moment to blog about these trips yet.. but check out the Italia section of www.portiamills.com for the lasted posted photos of Bologna, 5 Terre and Porto Venere !

Lago di Garda

Saturday morning, some friends and I picked up a car from Hertz in Bologna and drove north - past Modena, Mantua, Padua and Verona - toward Lago di Garda (Lake Garda). Minus getting a bit lost, it took us a couple hours to reach our destination, Riva di Garda, on the northern-most point of the lake. We spent the day walking around the quaint town, eating, hiking in the mountains there and planning our next move.
The next day we drove down the western side of the lake to a town called Limone, recommended by my aunt who enjoys vacationing in Garda from time to time. Limone proved a lovely town, tucked into the base of the mountain side and sprawling along the deep glacial lake. Next, we headed further south, through Mussolini's old retreat and several other picturesque villages.
In one rather large town, we got a bit turned around -- Italian highways are not intuitive for the average American driver. A family of RV-cruising northern Italians helped redirect us toward the bustling town of Sirmione in the far south of the lake. The latter proved as the guide books described: quite touristy but worth the visit for historic landmarks and Roman ruins. The kiwi and blood orange gelatto that I enjoyed before we headed back to Bologna may have been my favorite part of the day, though, aside from the dip in the lake.

photo album from trip